Art of preparing lubricant-carier material



Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ARMAN E. BECKER, O13 NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD DEVELOP- MENT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ART OF PREPARING LUBRICANT-CARRIER MATERIAL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARMAN E. BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Art of Preparing Lubricant-Carrier Material, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in the art of preparing lubricantcarriers and particularly the preparation of lubricant holding and distributing material of metallic character. The invention will be fully understood from the following description.

In lubrication it is important that an adequate film of the lubricating agent be maintained between the surfaces concerned, and while the film holding and spreading capability of surfaces varies with the lubricant used, it especially varies with the character of the metallic surface. In 'the case also of surfaces not directly a part .of the bearing but functioning to distribute the lubricant to a journal or bearing element, notably inthe case or divided or fibrillar metals, so-called metal wool, this becomes of importance in the realization of an increased capillary feed capacity. 7 I have now discovered that the aforesaid property of metallic surfaces can be increasedby an improved-treatment, applicable both to bearing'and feed elements.

In practicing my invention, any material amenable may be treated, and in any desired or practicable form, whether in larger units and surfaces or finely divided or the socalled wool, such as steel wool, copper wool, brass wool, Monel wool, etc., butby way of an illustrative example, reference may be made to the treatment of metallic wool for use in the journal boxes of railway car trucks etc. Steel wool of suitable grade is subjected to a bath of oil, such for instance as a cylinder stock or pressure still tar or any oil which in a refined or unrefined state contains small quantities of sulfur and is heated to a temperature sufficient to promote sulfurization of the metal surface and preferably to about 300 F. to

500 F. 'The steel wool appears to have some sort of afiinityfor the oil at elevated tem- Applicat ion filed May 16, 1922. Serial No. 561,532.

peratures and particularly ,in the presence of sulfur soon blackens and after removal from the treating bath is found to exhibit greater capacity for holding a lubricant. Instead of using the oils mentioned, there; can be used heavy distillates off of pressure rectical aspects of the matter, since the phenomenon is complex and not at this time entirely clear, I content myself here rather with stating the facts observed. In place of immersing the metal wool in oil, it can be subjected to the proper oil vapors at the suitable temperature, and in the claims hereinafter, it will be understood that the term oil includes either the liquid or.

vapor phase. It is generally preferable from the standpoint -of COIIVBIIIGIICB, and more satisfactory however to use the l quid.

'stilltar, or distillates from Mexican petroleum or the like, For instance, a

Ordinarily mineral oils are preferable,

but in some cases oi-ly materials of vegetable or animal origin may be used.

While I have described my invention by I reference -to certain specific examples, it will be understood that these are illustrative and not limitative, nor is the invention to be considered as dependent upon the accuracy of any theoriesmentioned. On the contrary, it is to' be re'arded as'limited only by the following claims, 1n which-1t ls'my intention to claim all inherenthovelty as broadly as the prior art permits.

What I claim is: 1. The process of preparing a metalllc lubricant-carrier which comprises sub-ject-' ing the surface of the metal to an oil with .an available sulfur-content, heated to 300-. 500 F.

2. The'process of preparing a 'metallic wool lubricant-carrier, which oomprlses treating the metallic 'wool with an oil in pared by. subjecting the wool to an oil'in the 10 the presence of available sulfur at a tempresence of available sulfur-atatemperature V perature of 300-500 F. of 300-500 F. I

. 3. The process of preparing a metallic, 5; The process of preparing a metallic 5 W001 lubricant-carrier, which comprises lubricant-carrier, which comprises forming treating steel'wool witha petroleum oi-l hava coating on the surface of the metallic l5 ing a loosely-bound sulfur content heated carrier by heating said carrier inthe presto 300- 500 F. I a ence of a sulfur-containing oil.

4. A metallic wool'lubricant-carrier pre- AIRMAN E. BECKER. 

